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Soaring: Staging a Historical Dance through Dance Notation

Soaring: Staging a Historical Dance through Dance Notation

Musicians use musical notation to provide a visual record and set of written instructions as to what a piece of music should sound like. While less widely known and used than musical notation, the art form of dance also has a system of notation. Labanotation is a system used to record human movement. It captures dances in symbol form, enabling this ephemeral art form to be recorded, recreated and shared with future generations in all parts of the world. In this two-week forum, Instructor of Dance Carol Maxwell Rezabek will introduce audience members to Labanotation and show how it can be used to stage dances created generations ago. The first week’s session will explain the Labanotation system of dance notation, including how it works and its history and applications. The second session will explore the history, significance and staging of one specific dance from Labanotation. The five-minute ensemble modern dance, Soaring, was choreographed in the 1920s by modern dance pioneers Ruth St. Denis and Doris Humphrey and has been brought back to life in our own time by Maxwell Rezabek. With the special permission of the Doris Humphrey Foundation and The Dance Notation Bureau, the second session of this forum will include a unique opportunity to experience Soaring. Audience members will be treated to a live performance of Soaring as well as an after-performance discussion with its dancers.

Thursday Forum is held in Kesler Auditorium on the first floor of Hickok Hall. Each weekly session begins with registration and refreshments from 8:45-9:15 AM, followed by the lecture until 11:30 AM. The presentations blend lecture, media such as film and music, and discussion.

Admission to each four-week forum series is $40. Admission to individual lectures and one- and two-week forums is $12 per week. Admission includes the lecture and morning refreshments of coffee, tea and pastries. Payment can be made in person on Thursday mornings by cash or personal check. Credit card payments can be processed by registering online in advance at www.coe.edu/thursday-forum. For more information, visit the Thursday Forum website or call 319.399.8523.

In the event of inclement weather, consult local media outlets to find out if the day’s forum will take place.